Dispensing device



, May 21, 1957 E. R. GREENE 2,792,885

DISPENSING DEVICE Filed July 1, 1954 INVENTOR.

F SIDNEY R. GREENE DISPENSING DEVICE Sidney R. Greene, New Haven, Conn.

Application July 1, 1954, Serial No. 440,709

7 Claims. (Cl. 16448) This invention relates to dispensing devices and more particularly to dispensing devices for dispensing strip material generally wound on a supply member.

The present invention contemplates a novel dispensing device of simple construction for automatically dispensing strip material as desired.

In accordance with the present invention, a supply member containing wound strip material is disposed in a housing provided with a discharge opening. The supply member is operated by motive means which causes the strip material to be unwound from the supply member and the unwound strip material is guided through the opening in the housing. Cutter means are provided for severing predetermined lengths of unwound strip material and such cutter means and motive means are controlled in operation by an actuating means.

The invention will be understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration, in elevation, of a dispensing device embodying the present invention and having the front cover removed to more clearly show the mechanism therein;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1 and wherein the actuating lever or linked operating means is shown partly in full lines and partly in phantom view to more clearly disclose the other elements of the dispensing device;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, in section, taken along line 3-3 of Fig. l for particularly showing the cutter means; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the actuating lever or linked operating means of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing for a more detailed description of the present invention and more particularly to Fig. 1 wherein one embodiment thereof is clearly illustrated, a dispensing device, generally designated by the numeral 11, comprises a casing or housing 12, rectangular in cross-section, of suitable material, as for example, a lightweight plastic, which consists of a main section 13 and a detachable snap-on section or cover 14 (Fig. 2). Housing 12 includes oppositely disposed top and bottom portions 15 and 16, respectively, and front and rear walls 17 and 18, respectively. A gear mounting plate 19 is supported on rear wall 18 by a plurality of studs 20. A shaft 21 is journaled in gear plate 19 and rear wall 18 and fixedly carries a gear 22 thereon between the gear plate and rear wall. A flat coil spring 23, between gear 22 and plate 19, is wound about shaft 21 and has one end, the inner end, secured to the shaft and the other end secured to a post (not shown) extending from rear wall 18. Shaft 21 projects through rear wall 18 and the end outside the casing is provided with a pivotally mounted key 24 which may be moved flat against the rear wall. A smaller gear or pinion 25 is mounted for/rotation on arent ice a shaft 26 which has its ends arranged in a pair of aligned arcuate slots 27 formed in rear wall 18 and plate 19, only slot 27 in the plate being visible in the drawing. Shaft 26 is movable in slots 27 and the curvature of the slots are drawn from the center of gear 22 so that gear 25 is in constant mesh with gear 22 regardless of the position of gear 25 in the slots.

A gear 28 is mounted on a shaft 29 which extends between rear wall 18 and plate 19. Gear 28 is in engagement with gear 25 when the latter is in its uppermost position in slots 27 and out of engagement therewith when gear 25 is in its downward position. A pinion 30 is in constant engagement with gear 28 and is fixedly mounted on a shaft 31 which is journaled in rear wall 18 and plate 19. The end of shaft 31 journaled in plate 19 extends therethrough and toward front wall 17 to accommodate a spool or reel 33 keyed thereto. Wound upon reel 33 is fiat strip material 34 which may be tape, ribbon, tinsel or in the form of filament, as desired. Arranged below shaft 31 in bottom portion 16 of housing 12 is a discharge opening 35 to provide for passage of unwound strip material from reel 33 to. the outside of the housing. Guide member 36, integrally formed with and extending from wall 18, is disposed adjacent opening 35 and to the right of the strip material passing through the opening as seen in Fig. 3; the lower surface of guide member 36 being spaced from bottom portion 16 of housing 12. A holding member 37 (Figs. 1 and 2) is pivotally supported on a post 38 (Fig. 2), extending from rear wall 18 and adjacent opening 35, by an arcuate-shaped punched-out section 39 of holding member 37. A torque spring 40 is mounted on post 38 and has an upper end bearing against the under side of. holding member 37 and a lowerend wrapped around a pin 41 extending from rear wall 18, to thereby normally urge the holding member in a clockwise direction. Holding member 37 has a curved end portion 42 which is adapted for engagement with guide member 36 and has an upper end 43.

A control gear 46 is carried by a shaft 47 and is arranged between gear plate 19 and rear wall 18. Gear 46 is disposed for constant engagement with pinion 30 and carries a punched-out detent or stop 48 on its face, which stop extends toward the plane of but just. short of plate 19 so as not to engage it when the stop travels behind the plate. Stop 48 is so located with respect to holding member 37 that it clears the upper edge of the latter upon rotation of gear 46. A circular cam disc 49 is secured to shaft 47 and is arranged between gear plate 19 and reel 33. A raised lobe 54) is formed on the peripheral edge of disc 49 and is adapted to engage upper end 43 of holding member 37 when the disc rotates to the proper angular position; It will be seen that spring 40 normally urges upper end 43 of member 37 intoengagement with the peripheral edge of disc 49 and as a result, curved end portion 42 is maintained away from and out of contact with the strip material and guide member 36 when the end 43 rides on the periphery of disc 49. However, when lobe 50 on disc 49 engages end 43, holding member 37 is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction and curved end portion 42 engages the strip material to press and hold the latter against guide member 36.

A linked operating means 52 is vertically arranged in housing 12 and projects outside the latter through an opening 53 in top portion 15 of the housing. The upper end 54 of linked operating means 52 is shaped to serve as a finger depressing portion. Linked operating means 52 comprises an upper link 55, a short intermediate link 56 and an end link 57; link 55 being hinged at 57A to intermediate link 56 and the latter being hinged at 58 to end link 57. A guide bearing member 59 having spaced portions projects from rear '-wall 18'and accommodates and to prevent transverse movement of the lever.

link 55. otlinked operating means 52 for travel therein -A spring 60 has one end connected to an end wall of housing 12 and the other end connected to intermediate link 56. Spring 6%) urges link '56 to the'left-asseen in 'Fig. 1, and against bearing member 59 whereby linked operating means-'52 is biased upwardly. A punched-out extending projection 61 is provided in link 55 and is adapted for engagement with top portion 15 of housing 12 to limit upward movement of linked operating means 52. The end of lower link 57 is provided with a recessed cutting edge 63 (Fig. 3) and an adjacent projecting guide portion 64, which portion is adapted for movement in the space between guide member' 36 and bottom 16 of housing 12 and guided by a guide 64A. When the upper end f linked operating means 52 is depressed, cutting edge 63 is moved toward guide member 36 to sever strip material 34, it being understood that member 37 serves to hold the strip material as the cutting edge severs the strip.

Upper link 55 of linked operating means 52 has a slot 65 formed therein and immediately above the slot is'a projecting catch portion 66. When link 55 is in its uppermost position, the portion of link 55 below slot 65 is in the path of travel of stop 48 and engages the latter to restrain movement thereof. Slot 65 is so located with respect to stop 48 that when linked operating means 52 is depressed to bring the slot opposite the stop, the latter is free to move into the slot but engages catch portion 66. When linked operating means 52 is returned to its uppermost position, catch 66 moves out of the path of travel of stop 48 whereby the latter is free to move in its circular path.

Considering now the operation of the novel dispensing device of the present invention, reel 33 is placed on shaft 31 with a portion of the strip material unwound so that the free end may be brought between curved portion 42 of holding member 37 and guide member 36 and through discharge opening 35; all parts of the dispensing device are at this time in the positions shown in Fig. 1. Key 24 is then actuated to rotate shaft 21 and gear 22 in a counterclockwise direction to therebywind coil spring 23. Since pinion 25 is free to move in slots 27, rotation of gear 22 in a counterclockwise direction causes the pinion to move out of engagement with gear 28 whereby during the winding of the spring no motion is imparted to the other gears. When spring 23 has been wound sufliciently, the device is ready for dispensing strip material. Since stop 48 engages linked operating means 52, as seen in Fig. 1, reel 33 is unable to rotate. Linked operating means 52 is then depressed to a position where cutting edge 63 severe the tape. As linked operating means 52 is depressed, slot 65 is brought opposite stop 48 and coil 23 becomes efiective to rotate the intermediate gears, control gear 46 and stop 48, the latter moving only a very small distance before catch 66 arrests motion of it. Further downward movement of linked operating means 52, which is very little, to sever the strip material causes rotation of stop'in a counterclockwise direction. When the strip material is severed, depression of linked operating means 52 is dis continued whereby the linked operating means is moved upwardly under the force of spring 60. As the linked operating means moves upwardly, catch 66 is disengaged from stop 48 and coil spring 23 becomes effective to cause rotation of reel 33 to unwind strip material 34 therefrom. Control gear 46 is also rotated together with stop 48 for one revolution until the latter again engages linked operating means 52 andthereby renders coil spring 23 ineffective. As control gear 46 rotates through one revolution, cam disc'49 also rotates and end 43 of holding member 37 rides off raised lobe 50. Under the action of torque spring 40 end 43 engages the peripheral edge of the disc. Curved end .42 accordingly moves out of engagement with strip member 34 and guide member 36, to thereby allow passage of the unwound material through discharge opening 3.5. Whenstop48 again-engages linked operating means 52,-end 43 engages lobe 50 whereby the curved end 42 is pressed against thestrip material and guide member 36 to hold the material.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes may be made in the design and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as the same will now be understood by those skilled in'the art.

vvhat is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing having an opening therein, a'supply member carrying wound strip material thereon-and arranged in said casing, means for guiding the strip material from said supply member through said opening, motive means operable for actuat ing said supply member to cause said material to be unwound therefrom, movable link means associated with said'motive-means for controlling actuation of the latter and comprising a plurality of links, one of said links having a cutting edge for cutting a portion of the unwound. strip material, said link means being movable to first predetermined positions to effect cutting of the strip material while maintaining said motive means inoperative and said link means being movable to second predetermined positions to eifect-actuation of said motive means while maintaining said cutting edge ineffective.

2. The device of claim 3 wherein a second link of the link means projects outside of said casing and is manually operable to effect movement of said link means.

3. In a device of the class described, a casing having an opening therein, a reel carrying wound strip material thereon and arranged in said housing, means for guiding the strip material from said reel through said opening, motive means comprising a plurality of driving members for rotating said reel to cause said material to be unwound therefrom, said motive means also including a rotatable control member connected for rotation with said reel, a detent carried by said rotatable member, a movable link for controlling actuation of said motive means and arranged in the path of travel of said detent, said movable link having-a slot formed therein, a second link movable with said first mentioned link and having a cutting edge for cutting a portion of the unwound strip material, said first-andsaid second links being eifective in first predetermined positions for causing the first link to engage said detent to arrest operation of said motive means and to cause said second link to effect cutting of a portion of the unwound'strip material, and said first link and-said second link being movable to other positions to cause said detent to enter said slot and pass out thereof to thereby effect operation of said motive means while rendering said cutting edge ineffective.

4. In a device' of the .class described, a casing having an opening therein, a reel carrying wound strip material thereon and arranged in said housing, means for guiding the strip material from said reel through said opening, saidlast-mentioned 'means including resiliently urged means for engagingthe strip material adjacent said opening, motive means comprising a plurality of driving members for rotating said reel to cause said material to beunwound therefrom, said motive means also includ ing a rotatable control member connected for rotation with said reel, a 'dctent carriedby said rotatable member a'movable link for controlling actuation of said motive means and adapted to engage said 'detent in one position to=-arrest operation of said motive means and 'to be disengaged "from said detent when the lever is moved to a :second position, a second link having a cuttingzedge for: cutting a portion of the unwound strip material, and means operable in response to operation of said motive means foridisengaging the resiliently urged means from thestrip material adjacent said opening.

:5; The'device .of claim 4 wherein the last-mentioned means comprises ea circular-plate secured forrotation with the rotatable member and includes a cam lobe on the periphery thereof, the circular plate being in constant engagement with the resiliently urged means.

6. In a device of the class described, a casing having an opening therein, a supply member carrying wound strip material thereon and arranged in said housing, means for guiding the strip material from said reel through said opening, a spring motor having a shaft adapted to rotate in one direction when the motor is wound and to rotate in the opposite direction when the motor is unwinding, motion transmitting means including a plurality of toothed members interconnecting said spring motor and said supply member for actuating the supply member to cause said material to be unwound therefrom, one of said toothed members being secured to said shaft, a second of said toothed members being disposed in constant engagement with said one toothed member, a third toothed member drivably connected to said supply member, said second toothed member being adapted to engage said third toothed member to connect the latter with said first toothed member when the motor is unwinding, and to be disengaged from said. third toothed member when the motor is being wound, cutter means for cutting a portion of the unwound strip material, and actuating means for controlling operation of said cutter means and said motion transmitting means, said actuating means being operable for operating said cutter means while maintaining said motion transmitting means ineffective for actuating said supply member and being operable for rendering said motion transmitting means efiective for actuating said supply member while maintaining said cutter means inoperable.

7. The device set forth in claim 6 wherein said second toothed member is mounted on a shaft disposed in arcuate slots, the curvature of said slots being taken from the center of the shaft of said spring motor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,843,161 Ingram Feb. 2, 1932 1,921,939 Parker et a1. Aug. 8, 1933 2,382,406 Engberg Aug. 14, 1945 

